Automatic disinfectant-holder for telephone-mouthpieces.



A. B. BUCKLAND. AUTOMATIC DISINFECTANT HOLDER FOR TELEPHONE MOUTHPIEUES.

APPLICATION FILED M124, 1913.

1,079,538, Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 24, 1913. Serial N6. 750355.

T 0 all whom it may-concern Be it known that I, Amos B. BUoKLAND, ZI-CltlZGll of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Disinfectant-Holders for Telephone-Mouthpieces and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which-it appertains to make and;use the same This invention relates to telephones, and morees pecially to the antiseptic protectors for the mouth-piecesthereof; and the object of-the same is to produce an improved form of automatic disinfectantholder-capable of attachment to the ordinary mouth-piece without any change whatever in the latter. This and other objects are accomplished by constructing'theholder in the manner hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and as shown in the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of this device attached to the mouth of a telephone holder, and igi 2 is a rearelevation of the attachment removed and on a larger scale. Fig.- 3 is a vertical section through the holder and'the mouth-piece. Figs. 4 and 5 are cross sections through the holder alone, taken on the line 44 of Fig. 3 and showing the holder in two different positions.

In the drawings the letter M designates the mouth-piece of a telephone transmitter, made ordinarily and customarily of hard rubber, usually having a perforated diaphragm D across its interior, and at its inner end provided with screw threads as shown at T in Fig. 3. Many efforts have been made to provide means for disinfecting these mouthpieces by supporting an antiseptic within or around the same so that the odors, gases, or vapors therefrom will act as a germicide. Some of these devices are objectionable in that they require an alteration in the mouthpiece of the telephone or in the structure of the latter; and others are objectionable for various reasons which need not be enumerated, principal among which is a. lack of provision for means to render the antiseptic or disinfectant material-constantly effective. I avoid both these objections-first by an attachment which renders my holder applicable to and removable-from the mouthpiece in a very simple manner, and second by using a porous or granular filler whose capillary attraction conveys the liquid disinfectant from the lower portion of the device where it would naturally settle, upward to the upper portion thereof where it is pierced with outlet holes so that the fumes or odors from the disinfectant may flow into the interior of the mouthpiece; I

Coming now more particularly to the details of the present invention, the holder proper is formed in the shape of a ring 1, preferably ,of rectangular cross section as shown in Fig. 3, and whose inneriface is of such size thatit' stands against the outer or larger end of the mouthpiece M upon which it is held by means of three fingers 2, 3, and 4, the latter of which (standing by preference at the top) carries a set screw 5 which renders the ring adjustable and removable. The radially inner wall of this ring at its top is pierced with several perforations 6, and the wall next the mouthpiece M may have additional perforations 7, or these perforations may take the form of scroll work, it being my intention that the fumes arising-from the disinfectant within the ring shall pass through the perforations both into the mouthpiece M. and radially inward from the ringtoward the lips of the user. The radially outer wall of the ring is provided at one point, preferably at its right side when the ring stands in normal position, with a filling opening or slot 8, closed by any suitablemeans such as a plate 9 pivoted at 10 to the outer wall so that it may be turned aside. Across the interior of the ring at its bottom is a partition 11, and across the same at a point near its top buta little distance to the left thereof, as seen in ig. 4, is a second partition 12these partitions producing a larger compartment 13 at the right side of the ring and a smaller compartment 14 at the left side thereof and the two compartments being in restricted comn'iunication by means of the space 15 beneath the lower partition 11 as seen in Fig. 4. The standard germicide used by boards of health throughout the country is formaldehyde with eucalyptus and chlorid, the same being produced from a volatile disinfee-ting liquid or from crystals or granules which are dissolved or vaporized in any suitable manner, and this germicide is indicated at 17 in the drawings as disposed within the compartment 14 which we may call the res- Patented Nev. 25, 1913.

terial itself or the fineness to which it is ground renders it to an extent a conductor of liquid by means of its capillary attraction therefor. The filling opening or slot 8 is of such size that the liquid may be supplied by any suitable means, and the parts are usu-, ally of such proportions that a fountain pen filler or a medicine dropper may be used forv this purpose.

The entire device is by preference formed of some non-corrosive metal, and which should beacid-proof; and various changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

1V ith the above construction of parts, the uses of this device areas follows: The set screw 5 is retracted, the fingers 2, 3, and 4 sprung slightly apart and slipped over the outer end of the mouthpiece M, and the set screw adjusted tohold the parts in the position shown in Fig. 1. Before tightening this screw at the top, the ring will be given av one-quarter turn so as to bring the filling openin 8 u permost as seen in Fig. 5. Then liquid isin ectant or germicide is introduced here, and it freely finds its way through the space 15 into the reservoir 14 which by preference I nearly fill with the same. Then the granular matter 16 is introduced. until the compartment 13 is substantially filled, when the closure 9 may be moved over the opening 8. This might occur before attaching the ring to the mouthpiece, but in any event the same is attached and the set screw set up so that the holder stands finally as seen in Fig. 4. The liquid now settles to the lower end of the compartment or reservoir 14, and seeps through the space 15 under the partition 11 into contact with the granules 16 at the lower end of the other compartment, which granules by their capillary attraction or their character permit the liquid to rise within this compartment to a level with its corresponding level within the reservoir, and perhaps higher on account of the capillary attraction-the fumes, vapors, or gases rising from the liquid through said'granulcs and finding their exit through the perforations 6 and 7 as suggested above. As these perforations are at the top, no liquid can escape; and by preference the perforations 6 and 7 are too fine to permit the escape of the granules 16. The act of using the telephone, no matter how gentle the operator may be, will agitate the transmitter the set screw 5 and rotate the ring until the opening 8 is uppermost as seen in Fig. 5, or practically uppermost with the preference that it be a little to the right of the position there shown.then insert a pen-filler and inject a little more liquid which flows through the granules toward the bottom of the compartment 13. Thereafter, by restoring the ring to the position shown in Fig. 4, this new charge moistens the granules at the lower end of the compartment '13, and the moisture communicates itself to the dry granules near the top thereof so that the disinfectant will give off its fumes in the manner described. On occasions it will be necessary to loosen the set screw (perhaps removing the ring entirely from the mouthpiece), open the slot 8, and remove the entire contents of the device, so that the granules 16 and the liquid 17 may be replenished in a manner which will be clear. Being of anti-corrosive metal, the device may at this time be thoroughly washed and perhaps sterilized as by being boiled.

What is claimed as new is:

1. The herein described automatic disinfectant holder for telephone mouthpieces,

comprising a hollow ring, means for detachably and adjustably connecting it with the telephone mouthpiece, the wall of the ring having an exit opening at the top and a filling opening at one side when the ring stands in normal position, a closure for said filling opening, and a partition across the bottom of the ring with a space past its edge, for the purpose setforth.

2. The herein described automatic disinfectant holder for telephone mouthpieces, comprising a hollow ring, means for detachably and rotatably connecting it with the telephone mouthpiece, the wall of the ring having an exit opening at a pointat the top of the ring when the latter stands in normal position and a filling opening quartering to said exit opening, means for removably closing the filling opening, a partition across the interior of the ring directly opposite said exit opening, and a second partition across the interior of the ring at a point dividing said interior into a larger compartment with which both said openings communicate and asmaller compartment, one of said partitions having a. space past it, for the purpose set forth.

3. The herein described automatic disinfectant holder comprising a ring-shaped body having a group of fine outlet openings through its walls at one side and a single inlet opening through its outer Wall at a point quartering to said group, a movable closure for the inlet opening, and partitions across the interior of said ring dividing it into larger and smaller compartments whereof the former communicates With all said outlet openings and the latter is adapted to contain liquid, one of said partitions having an opening for admitting the liquid from its compartment to the other oompartment; combined With means for sup porting said ring with its group of outlet openings normally uppermost and permitting it to be given a quarter revolution when the inlet opening is brought uppermost for filling purposes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

AMOS B. BUGKLAND.

lVitnesses JOHN B. GATENBEE, LOUIS S. PIERCE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

